According to authorities, no fewer than 22 people in India have died after consuming hazardous alcohol, and numerous others have been admitted to hospitals.
The deaths mostly occurred in two villages in the eastern state of Bihar, where it is illegal to sell and use alcohol.
Numerous Indian states have such laws in place, fueling a robust black market for inexpensive alcohol produced in unlicensed back alley distilleries that claims the lives of hundreds of people each year.
Men in the Saran district in the most recent incidence started vomiting on Tuesday before their health deteriorated.
On Wednesday and Thursday, 31 people perished, according to local media sources; three died en route to the hospital while others died while receiving treatment.
Sagar Dulal Sinha, the hospital’s chief, reported that 22 post-mortem investigations have been completed to date.
Santosh Kumar, a senior police official, claimed that local illegal alcohol retailers had come under harsh enforcement.
“We have caught several others and nabbed over a dozen booze dealers,” Kumar told AFP.
The International Spirits and Wine Association of India estimates that of the five billion litres of alcohol used annually in the nation, over 40% is manufactured illegally.
Methanol is frequently added to illegal liquor to boost its strength. Methanol poisoning can result in mortality, liver damage, and blindness.
42 persons in the western state of Gujarat passed away in July as a result of consuming illicit alcohol.
And in the northern state of Punjab, there were roughly 100 fatalities in 2013 in a similar accident
